Now, Voyager
by Olive Higgins Prouty
Now, Voyager is the story of a woman, deeply and unhealthily connected to her controlling mother. On the brink of a nervous breakdown, she seeks treatment at a sanitarium, and with intense therapy, gains self-confidence enough to start her life on her own terms.
Strangely enough, the novel read like a film, and the film screened like a novel. Bette Davis lent her talents to the 1942 film adaptation in one of her greatest performances, and her stylized acting—and the memorable musical theme—made audiences keenly aware they were watching a story that was once a novel. Once reading the novel, however, it starts in the middle of the story, flashing back to earlier in her life before her therapeutic transformation. Many films nowadays take that approach, and I was surprised that a novel from 1941 would be told in such a pattern.
The rest of the novel is told quickly, without the lush feeling of the film. Reading it before watching the movie might not be that bad, but once you’ve seen Bette Davis’s tears as she utters the iconic lines, it’s tough to appreciate the original.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel Stella Dallas here!
Strangely enough, the novel read like a film, and the film screened like a novel. Bette Davis lent her talents to the 1942 film adaptation in one of her greatest performances, and her stylized acting—and the memorable musical theme—made audiences keenly aware they were watching a story that was once a novel. Once reading the novel, however, it starts in the middle of the story, flashing back to earlier in her life before her therapeutic transformation. Many films nowadays take that approach, and I was surprised that a novel from 1941 would be told in such a pattern.
The rest of the novel is told quickly, without the lush feeling of the film. Reading it before watching the movie might not be that bad, but once you’ve seen Bette Davis’s tears as she utters the iconic lines, it’s tough to appreciate the original.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Olive Higgins Prouty's novel Stella Dallas here!